On April 8th...

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1378 Bartolomeo Prignano was elected as Pope Urban VI.

1455 Alfonso de Borgia was elected as Pope Callistus III.

1492 Lorenzo de'Medici, ruler of Florence, died.

1498 King Charles VIII of France was beheaded.

1605 Philip IV, King of Spain and Portugal, was born.

1732 Astronomer David Rittenhouse was born.

1783 Catherine II of Russia annexed the Crimea.

1793 Edmond Charles Genet arrived in the United States on a mission to enlist American aid in France's war against Great Britain.

1818 King Christaan IX of Denmark was born.

1820 The ancient Greek statue Venus de Milo was discovered on the Aegean island of Melos.

1838 The steamship Great Western made its maiden voyage from Bristol, England, to New York City, New York.

1861 Elisha Otis, inventor of the "safe elevator," died.

1862 John D. Lynde patented the aerosol dispenser.

1869 The American Museum of Natural History opened in New York City, New York.
1869 Neurosurgeon Harvey Cushing was born.

1873 Alfred Paraf patented the first successful oleomargarine.

1875 Albert I, King of Belgium, was born.

1893 Actress Mary Pickford was born.

1904 The United Kingdom and France signed the Entente Cordiale, settling long-standing colonial disagreements over Morocco, Egypt, Africa, and the Pacific.
1904 New York City, New York's, Long Acre Square was renamed Times Square.

1909 Actress Helena Modjeska died.

1912 Figure skater-actress Sonja Henie was born.

1913 China's first parliament opened in Peking.
1913 The 17th Amendment to the Constitution, requiring direct election of U. S. Senators, became law.

1916 Racecar driver Bob Burman crashed during a race in Corona, California, killing three spectators and badlyinjuring five others.

1917 Richard Olney, U.S. Attorney General and Secretary of State, died.

1918 Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Bloomer, wife of U. S. President Gerald Ford, was born.

1919 Merchant Frank Winfield Woolworth died.

1921 Betty (Bloomer) Ford, wife of President Gerald Ford, was born.

1925 Comedian Shecky Green was born.

1934 Candy company founder Franklin Clarence Mars died.

1935 Gene Sarazen won the Masters Golf Tournament.
1935 Adolph S. Ochs, publisher of the New York Times, died.

1939 King Zog I of Albania was forced into exile.

1940 Basketball player John Havlicek was born.

1941 Singer Peggy Lennon was born.

1943 The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Boston Bruins for the Stanley Cup.

1946 Major League pitcher "Catfish" Hunter was born.

1947 Actor Gerald McRaney was born.

1952 U. S. President Harry Truman seized steel mills in order to avert a strike.

1954 Actor John Schneider was born.

1956 Six U. S. Marines recruits drowned during a training exercie at Paradise Island, South Carolina.
1956 Jack Burke, Jr., won the Masters Golf Tournament.

1960 The Screen Actors Guild ended its month-long strike against film studios.

1961 Explosions and fire on the British ocean liner Dara killed 212 persons.

1962 Rock musician Izzy Stradlin was born.

1963 Julian Lennon, son of John Lennon, was born.

1964 The first mission of the Gemini Program was launched.

1968 Actress Patricia Arquette was born.

1974 Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run, breaking Babe Ruth's record.
1974 Artist Pablo Picasso died.

1975 Frank Robinson debuted as the first black Major League Baseball manager.

1977 Yitzhak Rabin resigned as Prime Minister of Israel.

1981 U.S. General Omar Nelson Bradley died.

1983 In front of a live audience of 20 tourists, David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear.

1986 Clint Eastwood was elected Mayor of Carmel, California.

1990 The Norwegian ferry Scandinavian Star caught fire, killing 159 persons.
1990 The television series Twin Peaks premiered on ABC.
1990 Nick Faldo won the Masters Golf Tournament.

1992 The British satire magazine Punch published its final issue.

1993 Opera singer Marian Anderson died.

1994 Morihiro Hosokawa resigned as Premier of Japan.
1994 Rock musician Kurt Cobain committed suicide.

1997 Folk singer Laura Nyro died.

2000 A V-22 Osprey crashed near Marana, Arizona, killing 19 U. S. Marines.

2001 Tiger Woods won the Masters Golf Tournament.

2003 Connecticut defeated Tennessee 73-68 for the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship.

2007 Zach Johnson won the Masters Golf Tournament.

2008 Tennessee defeated Stanford 64-48 for the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship.

2012 Bubba Watson won the Masters Golf Tournament.
2012 Television journalist Mike Wallace died.

2013 A car bombing in Damascus, Syria, killed 15 persons and wounded 53.
2013 Tribal violence killed 163 persons in Darfur, Sudan.
2013 Louisville defeated Michigan 82-76 for the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship.
2013 British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died.
2013 Actress Annette Funicello died.

2014 Connecticut defeated Notre Dame 79-58 for the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship.

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This page was last updated on October 30, 2018.